Tag Archives: God’s love

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Why Can’t I Just Go Home?

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Should we long to go to Heaven and despise our time here?

Philippians 1:20-26 (NAS) “according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better ; yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all for your progress and joy in the faith, so that your proud confidence in me may abound in Christ Jesus through my coming to you again.”

Paul is clear. For him to die and be home with Jesus was a great gain. But staying here meant working towards a goal, serving Christ, and saving others from an eternity in hell. It was more necessary, for the sake of others, for him to remain and continue in what God had called him to do.

I strongly believe we are living in the last days.
I Thessalonians 5:1-11 (NKJV) “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.”

As children of the light, we can see the timeline is quickly approaching the second coming of Jesus. But we don’t live in fear; we do continue to be ‘citizens’ of heaven. Philippians 1:27-30 (NIV) says, “Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God. For it has been granted to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him, since you are going through the same struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have. Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.” We keep doing what we are supposed to. We occupy until He comes. We go to work, raise our families and continue to live worthy. Most importantly, we be the ‘salt’ God calls us to be. We salt the earth, make it palatable, preserve life, and season God’s word. We purify the atmosphere we live in. God forbid we leave so many behind to die in their sins.

So some of us may die before Christ’s return. Some of us may get to be caught up in the air with Him. But all of us should be living like He is calling us home today.

Don’t waste a single opportunity!

II Timothy 4:1-8 (NIV) “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

Matthew 24:14 (NASB) “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”

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The Lord Is My Shepherd

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Psalm 23:1-6 (AMP)
Verse 1- “The Lord is my shepherd [to feed, guide and shield me,] I shall not lack.”

What do you lack? Nothing!
Thank you, Lord, that I lack no good thing. You feed me and you show me where to go.

Verse 2- “He makes me lie down in (fresh, tender) green pastures; He leads me beside still and restful waters.”

Sheep won’t drink out of troubled, moving, water. God knows this. He leads His sheep to waters that are calm. Only goats eat tough, dry grass, so God provides pasture that is lush and green for us.
Thank you, Lord that you are the only one who really knows what I need and you provide it for me.

Verse 3- “He refreshes and restores my life – myself; He leads me in the path of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him – not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.”

God knows this world can be distressing, taxing, and tiring. So, He refreshes us, shows us how to stay right with God. He leads us on the path we need to be on to have a transformed life.
Thank you, Lord, for time of refreshing.

Verse 4- “Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless,] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil; for you are with me Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide] they comfort me.”

We don’t ever have to taste death! Only walk under its shadow. Even then we don’t walk along. We go through and He is there to protect, guide and comfort us along the way.
Thank you, Lord, that you always bring us through.

Verse 5- “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil; my [brimming] cup runs over.”

God is preparing a wonderful feast. We will sit and eat right in front of Satan and his minions. Every demon that has ever plagued us will witness our victory celebration.
Thank you, Lord, for not just anointing me, but giving me more than enough so that I can do what you’ve asked me to do.

Verse 6- “Surely or only goodness, mercy and unfailing love shall follow me all the days of my life; and through the length of days the house of the Lord [and His presence] shall be my dwelling place.”

A boat leaves a ‘wake’ behind it. A jet leaves a stream in the sky. We leave goodness and mercy, only, in a wake behind us! If we are moving forward.
Thank you, Lord, that I dwell with you in Heavenly places, forever!

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I Am Weak

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II Corinthians 12:6-9a “Even if I should choose to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, or because of these surpassingly great revelations. Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.””

Paul had a “thorn in the flesh.” He describes this thorn as a “messenger of Satan” to keep him from thinking too highly of himself. I think we need to point out that the thorn was not from God. It wasn’t something pleasant. It came from the enemy.

Paul asked God three times to take it away. God’s answer was that His grace was sufficient and that His “power was made perfect in weakness.” Paul goes on to say in the last part of verse 9 and all of verse 10, “Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Let’s be clear about something, Paul is not saying we should go around bragging about all of our shortcomings, faults and issues. We don’t glorify our problems. What he is saying is that when we allow God to use us, in His strength, we can boast or brag about His power and His ability to bring us through.
When we admit to ourselves, and to God, that we can’t do it on our own, then allow Him to work in us and through us, He gets the Glory, not us.

So are you feeling weak today?
Let God strengthen you.

Be joyful! For the joy of the Lord is our strength!
Nehemiah 8:10 (KJV) “Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

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Why Do The Wicked Prosper?

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Sometimes, when we look around the world today, we can’t help thinking it… “Why do they have it all when it seems like God’s people are struggling?”

You know the “they” I am talking about, drug lords, king pens, Mafia bosses, pimps, movie stars, models, professional athletes, politicians and any number of people who lie, cheat and steal to get rich. (Now I am not saying that all of these professions are bad).
Job asked that question.

Job 21:7-13 (NIV) “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power? They see their children established around them, their offspring before their eyes. Their homes are safe and free from fear; the rod of God is not on them. Their bulls never fail to breed; their cows calve and do not miscarry. They send forth their children as a flock; their little ones dance about. They sing to the music of timbrel and lyre; they make merry to the sound of the pipe. They spend their years in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace
Then if we continue reading in Job, he answers his own question in a couple of different places. I like the reply in Chapter 27:16-17 (AMP) the best, Though he heaps up silver like dust, and piles up clothing like clay; he may prepare it, but the just will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.”

That scripture in Job supports Proverbs 13:22 (ASB) “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children; And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the righteous.” So next time you see sinner (wicked) person heaping up goods – tell yourself that they are just storing them up for us!

What about in the meantime? Why do we seem to struggle so much?

First off we have to understand who we are and who our Father is. God is our Daddy. We are children of the King. When we know that, we realize that we shouldn’t be lacking. If we are citizens of Heaven, we should talk and act like we are. There isn’t lack in Heaven, so why would we speak like we are poor. Do you moan about having more month than money? Do you say things like “I am broke,” “I just can’t afford to” and blah, blah, blah? I used to. Here is another no-brainer. Have you asked God to bless you?

I hate it when people think that asking God for things is greedy. He says, “You have not because you ask not.” (James 4:2b). And Matthew 21:22 says, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” You have to believe that He has it and that He wants to give it to you. We don’t have to earn it. Do you make your children work for their food?

But I thought we weren’t supposed to covet? Correct, but coveting means wanting what someone else has, not something just like it, but the same item they posses. Don’t take theirs, get your own. That is not coveting.
Another reason we may not be receiving from God is because we are robbing Him. “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings.” Malachi 3:8. (NIV). Then He goes on to say in verse 10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” He actually tells us to test Him! You have to tithe and give free will offerings, consistently with a cheerful heart and watch out. He’ll open those flood gates. So not real cheerful about giving? Do it anyway until you get cheerful. Obedience is better than sacrifice.

Maybe you have been faithful in your giving, but still come up short. Do you take care of what you already have? Are you a good steward of what God has given you? We wouldn’t run to buy a new toy for our child if they continued to destroy them, neglect them or ignore them. God’s a better parent than we are and He is never wasteful.

The last thing (for time purposes) is that we don’t ask for things, or money, just to heap it to ourselves. Our motivation for more should be not just to have a blessed life ourselves, but to bless others. We need more than enough if we are going to help those around us. After all it’s the goodness of God that turns hearts to repentance. Helping the poor shows His love.

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Wise-hearted or Wise-headed?

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Exodus 31:6b “And all who are wise-hearted I have given wisdom and ability to make all that I commanded you.”

Daniel was a ‘wise-hearted’ man. Joseph was a ‘wise-hearted’ man. Moses was a ‘wise-hearted’ man.
All of these men proved the wisdom God had placed in their hearts when they each had to face the so-called-wise-men of their day. When the wise men of Babylon couldn’t decipher Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel did. When Pharaoh’s wise men couldn’t interpret his dream, Joseph did. When the wise men of Egypt mimicked the miracle of God and turned their staffs into snakes, Moses’ snake ate theirs. Apart from the power of God, what is the difference between wise-hearted and wise-headed?

The wise men of the world are depending on their five senses, what they can hear, taste, touch, feel and see. But our senses can deceive us. They operate out of their minds, their heads. The heart is the place of truth. The heart believes! It doesn’t even need the bodies senses. We can’t obtain salvation through our minds, only through our hearts. We can’t understand God’s word with our minds, only with our hearts. We can gather facts with our minds, God gave us wonderful brains, but it is through our hearts that we act on what we know.

So who is a wise-hearted man?
Someone who by-passes their head and believes in their heart that God is good! That He is on our side! That His word is true and He will do what He says He will.

What kind of man are you?

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Get Wisdom!

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Job 28:27-28
“Then He was [wisdom] and declared it, He established it, yes, and searched it out [for His own use, and He alone possesses it]. But to man He said, behold the reverential and worshipful fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding.”

God established wisdom and, boy, do we need it! Reverencing God is wisdom.

The whole book of proverbs is about wisdom. Reading one chapter a day will take you through it in a month. In the very first chapter “wisdom” speaks to us as a woman. In Verse 33 she says, “but whoever listens to me will live in safety and be at ease, without fear of harm.”

Wisdom is different than head knowledge. Wisdom resides in our hearts. We get it in several ways. One as just stated is to reverence, honor and give glory, to God. We can also simply ask for it. James 1:5 (NIV) “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”

We can gather facts and cram our brains with knowledge, but that only ‘puffs up’, or makes us arrogant and fills us with pride. We all know at least one person who is a “know-it-all” and how much fun are they to be around. Try to impart some new information to them, or even give advice. Those kind of people are not teachable because they aren’t humble. But then we all know “wise” people, who may or may not have a lot of facts stored in their brain, but they can give and take advice, they are teachable. So we don’t need facts alone, we need to know that to do with those fact. Facts alone are dangerous.

Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 “Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun. Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: Wisdom preserves those who have it.” Wisdom helps us apply facts in the right way. Godly wisdom keeps us from screwing up.

We are blessed when we find wisdom. “Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who embrace her; those who lay hold of her will be blessed.” Proverbs 3:13-18. What is in her hands? Long life in one, and riches and honor in the other. Sounds good to me.

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Helping The Poor

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Matthew 25:35-40 (NLT) “For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’ And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'”

Jesus said when we helped those in need, we are actually helping Him. We also read in James 1:27 (KJV) “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.” We also have Dorcas, (Tabitha) as an example in Acts 9:36. She made coats and clothing for widows. So we are supposed to help the poor. Our church has a food pantry and help the needy in many different ways. Personally, my husband and I volunteer with the pantry, donate food and money, and my husband is always giving a hand out and a hand up. So I am making it very clear that I think charity is important and a necessary part of a relationship with God.

It’s important that we do not confuse charity with socialism or redistribution of wealth. Two words we hear quite frequently these days. The definition of socialism is-“a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.” The definition doesn’t sound so bad. It kind of sounds like everyone gets a say. But simply put, the way it comes out in the implementation is the government (those who govern the community) decides who does what, who gets what, and every other meaningful part of our lives. You don’t personally get to own anything. It’s all community property. The premise is that everyone is equal, no one lacks. Unfortunately it ends up being another form of government control and the people suffer.

Now lets talk about redistribution of wealth. That also sound like a good idea. After all didn’t Robin Hood, the man of legend, that we all love, steal from the rich and give to the poor? It’s one of my favorite stories. Again, the glorified story is nothing like the reality of the actual implementation. Unlike the greedy, oppressive lords and ladies in Robin Hood, redistribution takes from anyone who has, no matter how much or how you got it. It doesn’t matter if you won the lottery, worked hard for forty years, or inherited your money. The powers that be will take it, and they decide who gets it. Mostly it will go to those who cannot or will not support themselves. Let’s be honest now, many people refuse to work at legitimate, honest work. Those people will receive in this system along with everyone else.

Sounds bizarre, I know. But let me assure you, it is already implemented in our government in the United States. All of us who work pay taxes on our earned income. Some of us pay state and federal. Then once a year we report that income to the IRS and we receive either a refund for ‘overpayment’ or we have to pay in due to an ‘shortage’ collected. We all get to claim the same things, rich or poor. Sure those with more money have higher deductions, they make and spend more. (That’s why we need them to keep the economy going!). That all sounds pretty fair. It similar to tithing, we all pay our ten percent. (We won’t compare the use of the funds by the government with the use of the tithe, that’s a whole other subject). In the process, and the outcome isn’t so fair. We all know people who get large refunds every year. I personally know at least five families who get more than double back than what they paid in. They are happy, I am torn. I am thankful that they have what they need, but where did that money come from? From those who didn’t get more back than they paid in, from those who maybe don’t have children to claim, or many deductions. I know that I am paying for part of their refund along with thousands of hard working individuals, not by choice. The only thing free in this life is our salvation!

Whenever the government, or any other organization for that matter, gives something away, that money, or those materials come from someone else. Let’s take the food pantry I mentioned earlier for an example. We help over four hundred families a year. Where does all the food come from? Donations from other families, stores and community groups. All on a voluntary basis. We aren’t forced to give, but we do it out of the goodness of our hearts.

A hand out verses hand up, which is better. We’ve all heard the saying that goes something like, “give a man a fish and he will eat for a day, teach a man to fish and he will never go hungry.” We need to be wise stewards of everything God has given us.

The bible says, In II Thessalonians 3:6-13, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching[a] you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.” One of our early leaders when America was a brand new baby told the men who came over with him, “If you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

God told the Israelites not to pick every piece of fruit or every ear of grain so that the poor could come in an “glean” the fields. I have “gleaned”, that means going in and picking it yourself. Not driving to a storehouse where it is handed to you, clean and bagged. It’s dirty, muscle using, honest, good work! God warned Pharaoh that a famine was coming and used Joseph to save countless lives by storing up the food. Then he gave it all away, right? NO, he sold it to them. First he took their money, then their flocks, then their possessions, then their land, and finally he took the people as slaves. How did those poor souls feel about it? They thanked him, called it a miracle and were happy to be alive.

I am not advocating slavery! But we need to look at some things in our great nation. The governments way of fixing things won’t work. Nothing short of God’s way ever does. We don’t live in a perfect world, but we need to ask God for wisdom in our giving. We should all work hard. Can’t find a job, volunteer! Shovel your neighbors driveway, babysit your sisters children, go read to the little ones at the library, pick up garbage, help at the local nursing home, food bank, or daycare. Do something. We can all give of our time, and while you are waiting for God to bring you a job, or heal you so that you can work, help someone somewhere. Don’t ever allow yourself to feel like a victim. It isn’t ‘us’ against ‘them’. That brings division. We need unity to really help one another. If we did that, we wouldn’t need all these government systems.

Be blessed! Let God provide what you need according to His riches in Glory. Help others. Do the work of the Ministry.

Post Script: After some thought I also want to clarify that “work” isn’t always done outside of the home. Stay at home moms, or dad, work! But if you choose to stay home to care for your family and your home, please don’t allow your house and children to be a mess. Use your time wisely. I know as a mom, who has been able to stay home at times, and has had to work at others, some days you just don’t get it all done. But make sure that you aren’t spending more time on the computer, phone or watching tv than you are at your self-designated “work”.